DJRudeDoGG
I'm definitely not new and have done hundreds of these but nevertheless it can happen to any DJ, and it can happen to you! This was a gig planned over a year in advance but one can never be too certain!!
BTW: Netsearch, Grooveshark aka Audio Unlimited saved the night!!
BTW: Netsearch, Grooveshark aka Audio Unlimited saved the night!!
Let me know what you would have done different!?
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 4:27 am
synthet1c
I don't think you will get any good replies being that hostile to your viewers...
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 4:44 am
DJRudeDoGG
I've been doing YouTube videos for many years and have a pretty decent following. Those who know me know I'm not being hostile toward anyone. Thanks for chiming in though...
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 4:51 am
xcakid
Man I feel ya. Happens to the best of us. Specially with weddings. One of the biggest reasons, I have decided to only do certain mobile gigs and stick to bars and clubs. A bad night for me is no one dancing (once in a purple moon). I can't charge $1000 a night, but then again, there are time where all I need to bring is my laptop and some control vinyl/CD. :D I'm sure you already know....acknowledge, learn and move on. LOL
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 8:34 am
groovindj
It sounds like you did the best you could do under those circumstances.
It's all planned. To the best of your knowledge, you're prepared. You get there and it's all changed. They want different music.
It's OK having online access and being able to download any genre, but if the audience are unable to give you the info you need, then any DJ would struggle. Even when you do know the genre, other people may call it something else.
It was educational though, yes? Now it's over, you've learned something more about those people and what they're likely to want - so if you're ever in the same boat again, you'll have a bigger paddle. :-)
It's all planned. To the best of your knowledge, you're prepared. You get there and it's all changed. They want different music.
It's OK having online access and being able to download any genre, but if the audience are unable to give you the info you need, then any DJ would struggle. Even when you do know the genre, other people may call it something else.
It was educational though, yes? Now it's over, you've learned something more about those people and what they're likely to want - so if you're ever in the same boat again, you'll have a bigger paddle. :-)
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 9:08 am
Dazmax
We all as you say "Have em" Rude.
I guess my only thought is that you have been doing this for a long time. The people your working for have not. I get the impression that the people who booked you had no idea how much their changes were going to impact on your side of the event. Or that having used you a number of times, they were over confident and just thought "Its fine. He will handle it."
As far as doing anything differently. Perhaps once you realised what was going down you could have approched the organisers and indeed said "Look guys. This is not what I we had discussed or pre arranged so I could be a little Rusty on some of this." Then perhaps suggested that "They" explain the situation to the new batch of Guests. Perhaps the newcomers would have been a little more sympathetic.
Rather than playing out on what you thought they were asking for perhaps asking one of them to come up and pre listen on the headphones with you to help identify the style of muic they were trying to ask for could have helped out here too.
I feel for yah tho. Nothing makes you more on edge than being made to look like you can't do your job because of mistakes made by people who are not up there in front of the pissed off crowd.
Ultimately you did as much pre planning as you could. You can plan these things down to the last nut and bolt but still have the occasional washer thrown in.
All the best Rude :-D
Daz
I guess my only thought is that you have been doing this for a long time. The people your working for have not. I get the impression that the people who booked you had no idea how much their changes were going to impact on your side of the event. Or that having used you a number of times, they were over confident and just thought "Its fine. He will handle it."
As far as doing anything differently. Perhaps once you realised what was going down you could have approched the organisers and indeed said "Look guys. This is not what I we had discussed or pre arranged so I could be a little Rusty on some of this." Then perhaps suggested that "They" explain the situation to the new batch of Guests. Perhaps the newcomers would have been a little more sympathetic.
Rather than playing out on what you thought they were asking for perhaps asking one of them to come up and pre listen on the headphones with you to help identify the style of muic they were trying to ask for could have helped out here too.
I feel for yah tho. Nothing makes you more on edge than being made to look like you can't do your job because of mistakes made by people who are not up there in front of the pissed off crowd.
Ultimately you did as much pre planning as you could. You can plan these things down to the last nut and bolt but still have the occasional washer thrown in.
All the best Rude :-D
Daz
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 10:58 am
DJRudeDoGG
Thanks guys, this was indeed a very educational experience!~
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 2:00 pm
ShyneGTA
Im there with you... a couple of years back did a baseball league banquet. I met with the organizers several times to go over the details, all of them white people mentioning bonjovi, brooks and dunn, michael jackson, madonna, etc... (white people music)
on the day of the event, before the dancing started they ask me to announce that they are very sorry but they miscalculated and they have ran out of food... so about 200 of 400 people had no food... and i have to tell them that...
Then for some reason half of the crowd turns out to be of Indian (not natives but from the country of India...) background...
Long story short, i looked like a retard but i did the best i could to make them happy. And i dont have to see them again because they havent bothered to call me back... its life amigo...
on the day of the event, before the dancing started they ask me to announce that they are very sorry but they miscalculated and they have ran out of food... so about 200 of 400 people had no food... and i have to tell them that...
Then for some reason half of the crowd turns out to be of Indian (not natives but from the country of India...) background...
Long story short, i looked like a retard but i did the best i could to make them happy. And i dont have to see them again because they havent bothered to call me back... its life amigo...
geposted Wed 31 Jul 13 @ 11:07 pm
DJRudeDoGG
@Joey KJ We worked on the timeline and song list all year. The day of the gig they panicked and asked me to do a whole different thing than what had been planned and rehearsed the whole year long. I had the music on their list obviously but wanted other stuff that day! So not only did they incorrectly name the genre of music they wanted they also couldn't think of the artists names! So Netsearch was no help without the proper info.
They kept asking for "Sinaloense" which I have tons of, so when I played something in that genre after I asked them "is this one you want?" They'd say yes so I'd play it only to have the client rush back up saying "no! That's not it!" I was annoyed, I tried everything until I started playing some old Quebraditas and everyone came alive. Then someone came up and said, "we liked that but there's a new style that fast like that called Zapateado". I was like Zapateado? I have all of the newest stuff! When I started playing that it was like a fever pitch after that. No room on the dance floor. The client came up later and said "that's what we've been asking for?!"
I reminded her that she had been asking for Sinaloense but what she really wanted was Zapateado, a name she couldn't remember... SMH
By the way, the DJ at the beginning of this thread who said my hostility wouldn't be well received? I have nevver received such a positive out pouring of support in my life!! So may of you understood my plight and left almost 60 comments on my YT channel and hundreds on my FB! There was no hostility to the listener, it was just a dramatic display of dismay that I needed to convey to others who may relate to this situation. Turns out many, many did and responded in kind! Almost 1000 views on my rant video.
Thanks guys!!
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
They kept asking for "Sinaloense" which I have tons of, so when I played something in that genre after I asked them "is this one you want?" They'd say yes so I'd play it only to have the client rush back up saying "no! That's not it!" I was annoyed, I tried everything until I started playing some old Quebraditas and everyone came alive. Then someone came up and said, "we liked that but there's a new style that fast like that called Zapateado". I was like Zapateado? I have all of the newest stuff! When I started playing that it was like a fever pitch after that. No room on the dance floor. The client came up later and said "that's what we've been asking for?!"
I reminded her that she had been asking for Sinaloense but what she really wanted was Zapateado, a name she couldn't remember... SMH
By the way, the DJ at the beginning of this thread who said my hostility wouldn't be well received? I have nevver received such a positive out pouring of support in my life!! So may of you understood my plight and left almost 60 comments on my YT channel and hundreds on my FB! There was no hostility to the listener, it was just a dramatic display of dismay that I needed to convey to others who may relate to this situation. Turns out many, many did and responded in kind! Almost 1000 views on my rant video.
Thanks guys!!
DJ RuDe
Keep Spinnin'!!
geposted Thu 22 Aug 13 @ 7:22 pm
santd
That makes for a long night
geposted Thu 22 Aug 13 @ 8:55 pm
DJRudeDoGG
It was, but I got through it and all ended well...
geposted Tue 27 Aug 13 @ 12:10 am
1DJwillie
I have had that happen to me at Quinceaneras before. No matter how much you plan ahead and get music requests, there will always be an aunt or cousin or grandmother that "is in charge". I have gotten into the habit of letting the client know during our final planning session that there cant be any major changes (within reason of course). I also ask them if there will be anyone acting on their behalf at the party. You obviously have a good relationship with this client and they know what you do. In your situation, I would have tried my best to give the "special guests" what they wanted without taking the focus away from the quinceanera. I know its easier said than done, but the way I see it, it's her day and I'm sure that your client and the madrinas and padrinos would understand.
geposted Wed 28 Aug 13 @ 2:04 pm
ShyneGTA
then you have the hosts throwing everything out the window because so-and-so is leaving early and they have to be there when they cut the cake, do the dance, open gifts, etc. etc...
so because this person is leaving early months of planing go right down the toilet making the whole event into a circus side show (because when they rush through everything its incoherent) leaving you looking like an idiot, confusing people, killing the mood and everybody leaves early because they dont know what the heck is going on...
I always make a habit of telling people, make a basic itinerary and stick to it no matter who leaves early, because that one person who didnt have the decency to make time for your event cant be so important that you have to rearrange months of planning...
YET THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME!
so because this person is leaving early months of planing go right down the toilet making the whole event into a circus side show (because when they rush through everything its incoherent) leaving you looking like an idiot, confusing people, killing the mood and everybody leaves early because they dont know what the heck is going on...
I always make a habit of telling people, make a basic itinerary and stick to it no matter who leaves early, because that one person who didnt have the decency to make time for your event cant be so important that you have to rearrange months of planning...
YET THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME!
geposted Wed 28 Aug 13 @ 2:39 pm
lucas569
DJ rude DO NOT FEEL BAD! cross culture gigs are very difficult. ESPECIALLY obscure Mexican music. I'm latino and have hard times at these events. sweet 16's and 15's are to be treated almost like a wedding so people, relatives, guest of honor are tense. I pass on alot of these unless they pay my normal wedding rate. I normally ask to get artist names, songs,etc... months before to get an idea then i search the web and get "like" artists and download them as well.
I can normally wing it and fill it with other music, hip hop, dance, pop,top 40, latin, bachata, salsa well you get the pic.
I can normally wing it and fill it with other music, hip hop, dance, pop,top 40, latin, bachata, salsa well you get the pic.
geposted Wed 28 Aug 13 @ 7:39 pm
Ikaraoke
You went balls to the walls. They messed you up. I would have approached the client with this disclaimer...."You have made so many drastic changes I can't guarantee this list is going to get fulfilled. I based the entire night on your original list, I'll do what I can to keep everyone happy but this is regional music I am not familiar with. You should have called me to let me know of the changes then I could be better prepared. Hang on, because might be a bumpy ride". That said, because you already had a long term relationship with them.
Of course this is hind sight.
Of course this is hind sight.
geposted Wed 06 Nov 13 @ 6:51 am
coach k
Dude, you did your job! They screwed you over with the last minute changes! First of all, if this was about the Daughter, then Whoever showed up has to deal with her music! I realized a while ago, especially at Sweet 16's, the girl and her friends will dance all night from the playlist she has provided, but the parents and older folks will sit at their tables Yakking all night, some complaining about the DJ not playing music they like! Yet it's not about them so I said BUMP them, I am going to make sure the kids are happy!
People think we just put the needle to the record or just push the play button and that is it! Yet they don't realize the time and effort we put in to give them a great night!
I have this system in order now, where the guest of each party can go to my website to request a song(s) for that party and they can do it everyday right up until 24 hours prior to the event, because I no longer take request at the event, due to this one bride who kept forcing me to change the style of music every time I got in a groove to please her wedding guess! One side wanted Latin and the other side wanted top 40, so when one side was happy the other complained and it was like that the whole night! So now in my contracts, I have it understood, all request from the client and the guest are shut off 24 hours prior to the event. I even shoutout the clients who requested the song and I give them 30 secs to get on the dance floor, because you get people who request songs and don't even dance and the dance floor can easily scatter like roaches because that person may love that song, but nobody else does! So 30 seconds or the next song is played!
DUDE, KEEP ROCKING, WE ALL HAVE BAD NIGHTS HERE AND THERE, YET WE HAVE WAY MORE BETTER ONES OR WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS GAME SO LONG!
SALUTE!
People think we just put the needle to the record or just push the play button and that is it! Yet they don't realize the time and effort we put in to give them a great night!
I have this system in order now, where the guest of each party can go to my website to request a song(s) for that party and they can do it everyday right up until 24 hours prior to the event, because I no longer take request at the event, due to this one bride who kept forcing me to change the style of music every time I got in a groove to please her wedding guess! One side wanted Latin and the other side wanted top 40, so when one side was happy the other complained and it was like that the whole night! So now in my contracts, I have it understood, all request from the client and the guest are shut off 24 hours prior to the event. I even shoutout the clients who requested the song and I give them 30 secs to get on the dance floor, because you get people who request songs and don't even dance and the dance floor can easily scatter like roaches because that person may love that song, but nobody else does! So 30 seconds or the next song is played!
DUDE, KEEP ROCKING, WE ALL HAVE BAD NIGHTS HERE AND THERE, YET WE HAVE WAY MORE BETTER ONES OR WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS GAME SO LONG!
SALUTE!
geposted Wed 06 Nov 13 @ 7:50 am
Jason K
Only thing left to do is grin and bare it. I always make it clear, and it's in my contract that I may or may not have access to different music they day of the event depending on my connection to the internet. They have until 5 days before the gig, to finalize their requests anything beyond that point may be hit or miss. You did everything you could and I hope you charge a pretty penny for your efforts, because you went above and beyond what 99.9 percent of what other DJ's would. Seems like your personality was the only defense you had left. An announcement that you had five pages of requests ready to go and that providing correct song info you would do your best to get what they wanted might have helped.
geposted Wed 06 Nov 13 @ 7:52 am
freppa
I feel for you Man !
This sounds like almost all weddings I have played on..
I always have a mailcontact with the couples long time before the weddings.
And always get some "playlist/requests" that they want to dance to..
In 80%, the guests comes over and wish other music or genres.
Thats why I print my mailconversations (requests) on paper and push them up their faces first.. and then I change the music/genre so everyone will be satisfied.
This work is like going to a job where you are expected to drive a taxi when you eventually end up to drive a truck fully loaded with dynamite.
Drive carefully ;-)
This sounds like almost all weddings I have played on..
I always have a mailcontact with the couples long time before the weddings.
And always get some "playlist/requests" that they want to dance to..
In 80%, the guests comes over and wish other music or genres.
Thats why I print my mailconversations (requests) on paper and push them up their faces first.. and then I change the music/genre so everyone will be satisfied.
This work is like going to a job where you are expected to drive a taxi when you eventually end up to drive a truck fully loaded with dynamite.
Drive carefully ;-)
geposted Wed 06 Nov 13 @ 1:31 pm
djles.co.uk
Got a horror story from only 12 days ago.
Remember, I'm in the North East of England, procedures, formalities, etc. are different here, but;
Got a call at 4.30pm a week gone Saturday to do a wedding at 6.30pm, 2 hours later!!! I was told there was no 'First Dance' to worry about as there was a wedding singer on. Dashed around getting a quick shower and finding my suit. Turned up 10 minutes late at 6.40pm only to find the equipment not set up. Staff at the venue set the gear up with 2 speakers on stands, a keyboard style stand with a powered mixer on with room for my flight case. Plus an overhead gantry with lights on. Didn't take long to setup as the gear lives in this room and this is what they do regularly.
As soon as I was 'live' they asked me to play some background music while the wedding singer was setting his gear up next to me. He had 2 speakers on stands and what looked like a powered mixer plus an Apple iPad to play his backing music. He said he knew nothing about the 'first dance'. So, I asked the staff, there was a girl who was the wedding co-ordinator who said that I was to play the music for the 'first dance' (Etta James - At Last). Which I didn't have (I normally work in a nightclub and never use that kind of tune), she said she could download it off the internet onto a memory stick. She then produced a playlist of about 30 songs, guess what? I didn't have about 15 of them!!! ARRRRRGGGGG...... I thought this is crazy, I am gonna look like a right idiot through no fault of my own. The wedding co-ordinator then said we have wi-fi in this room, could I download the tunes?
So, the wedding singer started at 8.00pm and while he was doing his first set (30 minutes) I managed to download all the missing tunes from YouTube!!! At the end of his set I played the 'first dance' Etta James literally 25 minutes after downloading it. My God now THAT'S STRESS!!! The next half hour I played most of the other tunes I download from their playlist as most of them were ballads.
Then there was the Buffet at 9.00pm followed by the wedding singer at 9.30pm. He was excellent BTW singing all the brat pack big band tunes. He was supposed to be on for 30 minutes but ended up singing for an hour til 10.30pm. I didn't mind as he really rocked the place and had everyone dancing. This left me only 90 minutes to finish the night. Had a great set with all 70s & 80s tunes that I normally don't get to play in my nightclub gigs.
The night went off without a hitch from the wedding parties point of view, but, I'm sure my hair turned grey that very night!!!
PHEW!!! I think I deserved a medal the size of a frying pan lol.
Remember, I'm in the North East of England, procedures, formalities, etc. are different here, but;
Got a call at 4.30pm a week gone Saturday to do a wedding at 6.30pm, 2 hours later!!! I was told there was no 'First Dance' to worry about as there was a wedding singer on. Dashed around getting a quick shower and finding my suit. Turned up 10 minutes late at 6.40pm only to find the equipment not set up. Staff at the venue set the gear up with 2 speakers on stands, a keyboard style stand with a powered mixer on with room for my flight case. Plus an overhead gantry with lights on. Didn't take long to setup as the gear lives in this room and this is what they do regularly.
As soon as I was 'live' they asked me to play some background music while the wedding singer was setting his gear up next to me. He had 2 speakers on stands and what looked like a powered mixer plus an Apple iPad to play his backing music. He said he knew nothing about the 'first dance'. So, I asked the staff, there was a girl who was the wedding co-ordinator who said that I was to play the music for the 'first dance' (Etta James - At Last). Which I didn't have (I normally work in a nightclub and never use that kind of tune), she said she could download it off the internet onto a memory stick. She then produced a playlist of about 30 songs, guess what? I didn't have about 15 of them!!! ARRRRRGGGGG...... I thought this is crazy, I am gonna look like a right idiot through no fault of my own. The wedding co-ordinator then said we have wi-fi in this room, could I download the tunes?
So, the wedding singer started at 8.00pm and while he was doing his first set (30 minutes) I managed to download all the missing tunes from YouTube!!! At the end of his set I played the 'first dance' Etta James literally 25 minutes after downloading it. My God now THAT'S STRESS!!! The next half hour I played most of the other tunes I download from their playlist as most of them were ballads.
Then there was the Buffet at 9.00pm followed by the wedding singer at 9.30pm. He was excellent BTW singing all the brat pack big band tunes. He was supposed to be on for 30 minutes but ended up singing for an hour til 10.30pm. I didn't mind as he really rocked the place and had everyone dancing. This left me only 90 minutes to finish the night. Had a great set with all 70s & 80s tunes that I normally don't get to play in my nightclub gigs.
The night went off without a hitch from the wedding parties point of view, but, I'm sure my hair turned grey that very night!!!
PHEW!!! I think I deserved a medal the size of a frying pan lol.
geposted Wed 06 Nov 13 @ 8:40 pm
Matty1000
hey man i think you are being too hard in yourself about this gig
as van morrison says "there will be days like this"
you cant please everyone all the time, and especially if its another culture who you are catering for.
plus you DID follow their instructions
i had a mexican party before where the organizer had right out lied to me that it was a salsa party LOL
and similar thing happened to me in a peruvian party where the only music that seemed to work with them was the music i least expected
"huayno" music from the andes.
i had worked closely with some peruvian friends in preparation and even they had got it wrong.
not only had i not expected this music to get people dancing but its also very hard to get legally on the internet since music piracy is so rampant in peru. which deterred me even more from stocking up on it before the gig. instead i broaght a load of tecno cumbia from the 80s and 90s which they didnt seem to want at all.
but you got to suck it up and treat it as a VERY valuable learning experience.
also now days everybody has access to so much music that they literally expect the dj to have EVERYTHING. and its not possible any more to have so much.
just last weekend i did a christening party to entertain about 20 kids from 16 and younger, i have all the latest stuff but its hard to compete with people who are really into it, and these kids wanted every song from this band and that band....and i have to say if im in tight situations like this and if there is no internet aswell, i DO allow for a last resort, and let people play the odd song from their iphone , if it will make them happy
as van morrison says "there will be days like this"
you cant please everyone all the time, and especially if its another culture who you are catering for.
plus you DID follow their instructions
i had a mexican party before where the organizer had right out lied to me that it was a salsa party LOL
and similar thing happened to me in a peruvian party where the only music that seemed to work with them was the music i least expected
"huayno" music from the andes.
i had worked closely with some peruvian friends in preparation and even they had got it wrong.
not only had i not expected this music to get people dancing but its also very hard to get legally on the internet since music piracy is so rampant in peru. which deterred me even more from stocking up on it before the gig. instead i broaght a load of tecno cumbia from the 80s and 90s which they didnt seem to want at all.
but you got to suck it up and treat it as a VERY valuable learning experience.
also now days everybody has access to so much music that they literally expect the dj to have EVERYTHING. and its not possible any more to have so much.
just last weekend i did a christening party to entertain about 20 kids from 16 and younger, i have all the latest stuff but its hard to compete with people who are really into it, and these kids wanted every song from this band and that band....and i have to say if im in tight situations like this and if there is no internet aswell, i DO allow for a last resort, and let people play the odd song from their iphone , if it will make them happy
geposted Thu 07 Nov 13 @ 3:11 pm
